NEWS BRIEFS

Costa Mesa, CALIF. — Seagate Technology, a leading manufacturer of tape storage products, announced that its Viper 200 tape drive has successfully completed the independent Ultrium format compliance verification testing process for tape mechanisms. Viper 200 is based on the Ultrium format of Linear Tape-Open technology, an open-format specification developed by Seagate Technology, Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM Corp to address the increasingly demanding requirements of large-scale data protection today and in the future. The LTO program format verification process is the industry’s first independently administered and executed interchange testing procedure for tape storage devices. Following successful compliance testing, Seagate has earned the right to use the Ultrium format compliance trademark on Viper 200 drives.

Seagate will support system OEMs, automation manufacturers and storage solution providers with a complete family of Viper 200 tape backup solutions. Viper 200 drives will be out in mid-October in two SCSI configurations (Ultra2 SCSI LVD and HVD). The 2 Tbyte Viper autoloader will be shipped in January 2001. Native Fibre Channel connectivity will be available in the first half of 2001.

“The Viper 200 is based on an open tape standard that will benefit end-users with a range of products and features designed to meet their specific data storage needs. With multiple manufacturers, the end user can look forward to faster-paced product innovation focused on features that are key to their applications,” said Larry McMannon, general manager of Seagate Removable Storage Solutions.

“There are many factors affecting the demand for open tape technology, including the growth of the Internet and e-commerce business strategies,” said McMannon. “Total reliability, data availability and backup speed are key as demand for 24/7 data storage usage continues to grow exponentially. The Viper 200 addresses these requirements by delivering a feature-rich drive with an amazing backup speed of up to 115.2 Gbytes per hour. Employing Seagate’s world-renowned innovation, the Viper 200 is a reliable, high-performance, high-capacity data protection solution that takes Ultrium-format technology to a new level.”

“StorageTek is in the process of testing Seagate’s Viper 200 Ultrium format drive,” said Nelson Diaz, StorageTek vice president and general manager, Client Server Tape and Disk. “We are excited to add the Ultrium format to our mixed-media L-series libraries, given the growing demands for capacity and performance in tape automation. The StorageTek Adaptive Media Technology allows our L-series libraries, currently being shipped, to be seamlessly upgraded by adding the Ultrium format drive and media.” Seagate’s Viper 200 provides the midrange tape market with a host of best-in-class features focused on high performance, reliability and data availability. Viper 200 features include:

— Data protection for up to 200 Gbytes of compressed data on a single Ultrium format cartridge at speeds up to 1.9 Gbytes per minute (assuming 2:1 data compression). With Viper’s patented head positioning technology and managed airflow dynamics, high levels of data integrity are assured.

— Seagate’s patented Dynamic Powerdown system assures reliability by protecting the media and mechanism in the event of a power loss during normal operation. The Viper 200 can detect a loss of power, slow down each tape reel simultaneously and maintain the proper tension to prevent the media from unspooling and being destroyed.

— Optimized backup time with Seagate’s FastSense technology that allows the Viper 200 to modulate tape speed to closely match the data rates from the host computer system. This ensures that the tape drive will stream continuously, reducing overall backup time and decreasing wear on critical components.

Steve Richardson, vice president of marketing at Overland Data Inc. said, “Overland Data has been impressed with the performance and reliability of Seagate’s new Viper 200 tape drive. We look forward to launching automation products that will incorporate this new tape drive.” In addition to the Viper 200, Seagate will offer Ultrium-format 200-Gbyte data cartridges. Seagate’s Ultrium-format media will be certified under stringent testing to provide the highest level of data integrity and interchangeability for the Viper 200 as well as other Ultrium-format drives. The cartridge contains an imbedded memory chip that stores the cartridge index, allowing fast access to data. The memory chip is accessed by a wireless RF signal, allowing for easy integration in automated solutions.

Images of the Viper 200 are available online at http://www.seagate.com/newsinfo/newsroom/photo/D2h3.html . Seagate Tape Drives and Data Cartridges – LTO, DDS and Travan Seagate, along with fellow technology providers Hewlett-Packard and IBM, created Linear Tape-Open, or LTO, technology, a new powerful, scaleable, open tape architecture that will meet the growing storage demands of midrange to enterprise-class servers with up to 200 Gbytes of data per cartridge. With more than 10 million tape drives installed, Seagate is a market leader in tape backup solutions. Seagate can be found around the globe and at http://www.seagate.com .

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